A cospora



April 1, 1924.`

v T. A. BOTH ELECTRIC SWITCH vFiled imrilv 29 1921 1:39113 INVENToR l a BY AiToRNEY Patented Apr. l, i324.

UNITED STATS PATENT OFFICE.

froNJns A. Borri, on srnarnonn, coNNnorroo-r, nssreNoa 'ro rrr-n ooNNncrIcU'r ELEC- 'raro nANUrncTUnrNc conrnNY, or nnrnenronfr, CONNECTICUT, A. consona- TION OF CONNECTICUT.

ELEGTRC SVIITCH.

Application filed April 29, 1921.

To @ZZ whom t may concern: y Be it known that l, ToNJEs A.. B ornf, a citizen of the United` States, residing at Stratford, countyof-Fairfield, State of Connecticut, haveinvented an improvement in Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification. V

This invention relates to button operated electric switches and has for its object to provide a generally improved switch of this type which is 'easily operated but reliable in its action, whose mechanism is compact so as to require a relatively small space for its accomniodatiomwhich is of sturdy construction and long life, which is relatively simple and not likely to get out of order, and whose cooperating parts are of such a character that they may be inexpensively made, easily and quickly assembled, and as readily disassembled for purposes of repair or otherwise. V

With the foregoing and other objects in view, I have devised the novel switch mechanism which will now describe, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation with the cover plate removed.l

Fig. 2 is a side elevation. A

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3, Fig. l.

Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged side elevations of the operating mechanism, showing the same in different positions, one of the supporting flanges of the yoke being broken away in Fig.'` 5 in order better to show the interior construction.

Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of' the parts shown in Figs. l and 5, showing one of the heads of the contact carrier and the parts carried thereby.

7 is an end view of the contact carrier.

Fig. 8 is a detail section on the line 8-8, Fig. 7. y

Fig. 9 is a detail view of one of the operating buttons and its attached stem.

Fig. 10 is a detail view, in front and side elevation, of Vone ofthe contact carrying conducting bars.

Fig. 11 is a detail view of one of the rockers.

Fig. 12 is a detail end view of the rockers and the spring device for connecting the Serial No. 465,398.

bars 22 secured byscrews 23 to said box or casing, said conducting bars having binding screws 21 for the connection of the line terminals, and each having a ystationary switch contact 24. As herein shown, the switch is of the double-pole, double-break type, so that the line terminal binding screws and switch contacts are duplicated, as shown in Fig. 1.

25 denotes a supporting yoke having the usual slots for fastening it to the boX at each end, guide openings 26 for the operating buttons 27, and dependinganges or wings 28 by which the various parts of the mechanism are carried.

The contact carrier comprises a flat bridge piece 29, preferably composed of drawn stock, and having rounded edges and a central notch 30 (Fig. 5) for a purpose hereinafter explained. Secured to the ends of the bridge piece 29, as by upsetting the latter, are heads 31 (Figs. 6 and 8) to which are secured, as byhollow rivets 32, the contact blades 33 and interposed insulating washers 34 preferably provided with arc preventing wings 35. The rivets 32 rigidly engage the contact blades 33 land are insulated from the heads 31 by bushings 36 and washers 37 of insulating material. By

this construction it ywill be seen that the contact blades 33 are rigidly connected with,

but are completely insulated from, the heads 31 and bridge piece 29 ofthecontact carrier. The rounded forward or upper edge of the bridge piece 29 is received in notches 38 in the wings 28 of the yoke 25, said bridge piece rocking in said notches and being retained therein against accidental displace ment by stop shoulders 39 formed on said wings at the mouths of said notches. Rearward of the notches 38, the wings 28 are formed with openings in which the bridge piece 29 is free to rock about its outer edge, the movements of said bridge piece being limited by stop surfaces l0 on said wings at the sides of said openings.

The wings 28 are formed at their lower` ends with transversely extended arms hay ing upwardly (as viewed in Figs. 4 and 5) o-r forwardly disposed, hooked ends 42 to receive a pivot pin 43 which is grooved yat to receive the downwardly or rearwardly disposed hooked ends 45 of transversely extending arms 46 at the lower sides of a pair of spaced rockers 47 located between said wings, whereby said rockers are pivotally supported on said pin. ln assembling, the arms 46 of the two rockers are preferably oppositely disposed, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5,v to provide a balanced structure. rlhe rockers 47 are centrally recessed forwardly of the arms 48 to receive the bridge piece 29 of the contact carrier, and are formed near the inner sides of their opposite ends with outwardly disposed notches 48 (see Fig. ll) to receive the inner ends of flat stems 49 secured to and projecting inwardly from the operating buttons 27, which are preferably molded thereabout, each of said stems preferably being formed at its inner end with a pair of notches 50 9) to interlock with the notches 48 at one end of the respective rockers 47. in order further to assist in retaining the rockers 47 and button stems 49 in operative engagement, said rockers are preferably provided their outer sides with laterally projecting curved arms 5l which extend through slots 52 in said stems, said arms being formed concentric with the ibuttons of the notches 48, whereby, as the buttons 9.7 move inwardly and outwardly, and the rockers 47 are oscillated on the pivot pin 43, the stems 49 will rock about centers located at t-he bottoms of the notches 48 and the arms 51 will move freely in the slots 52. rlhe rockers 47 preferably comprise fiat plates of the configuration shown, as do also the stems 49, said parts being consequently very inexpensively produced, while their interengagement affords the necessary operative connection without the use of pivot pins or the like and permits substantially rectilinear movement of the buttons notwithstanding the pivotal mounting of the rockers. The rockers 47 are also shaped between the notches 48 and arms 5l to provide stop edges or shoulders 47 adapted to. contact the sides of the stems 49 as shown at the right hand of Fig. 4 and left hand of Fig. 5 to limit the rocking movements of the rockers 47. The buttons 27 are prevented from being forced outwardly by their guide openings 26 in the yoke 25.

Interposed between the rockers 47, and holding the latter in spaced relation, is a. short pin or stud 53 (Fig. 12) said pin having reduced ends 54 (Figs. 5 and i3) which are loosely received in openings 55 (Fig. l1) in said rockers near the forward or outer edges of the latter. Disposed about the pin is a coil spring 56 having its ends inwardly or rearwardly disposed and engaged in openings in the arms of a preferably flexible Lasagne li-shaped stirrup 57 engaging the inner or lower curved edge of the contact carrier bridge piece 29.

lt will be seen that the spring device comprising the spring 56 andi stirrup 57 operatively connects the rockers and contact carrier, being attached t0 said members respectively at points eccentric to their axes of oscillation. Consequently, when one or the other of the buttons 27 is operated to turn the rockers on their axes the pin or stud 54, b-y which the spring 56 is carried, will travel through an arcuate path having an outward as well as a lateral component. thereby increasing the tension of said spring and the outward pressure exerted thereby through the stirrup 57 upon the bridge piece 29. During the lateral movement of the pin 54 the spring 56 passes through the notch 30 in the bridge piece 29, and when the axis 0f the stud 54 crosses the cent-ral plane of said bridge piece the latter, under the influence of said spring, will be quickly rocked or snapped from one to the other of the positions shown in Figs. 4 and 5, thereby carrying trie contact blades 33 into or out of engagement with the stationary contacts 24 and closing or openinof the circuit. This movement will brine` a stop edge or shoulder 47 against the stem 49 of the operating button and limit the movement of the rockers 47 and buttons 27 under the action of the spring 56.

The above described mount-ing of the spring 5G and its connection with the rockers and Contact carrier have been found to provide an extremely free, easy and unrestricted but entirely reliable action of the operating mechanism. The movement of the contact carrier, while a short one, takes place with considerable force. In tensioning the spring, the latter isl not stretched (and consequently weakened), as is usual in devices of this character, but instead, by reason of the fact that its ends are disposed in the direction of the portion of the rocker 29 to which it is attached, is wound tighter at each operation, the ilexiblity of the stirrup 57 preventing undue strain upon or injury to said ends.

It will be noted that all of the individual parts of the operating mechanism above described are or simple and inexpensive construction, having few bends or other peculiarities of conguration requiring special processes for L,their manufacture, that the parts are all more or less loosely int-erengaged in such a manner as to obviate the use of fixed rivets, screws and the like and eliminate the necessity of carefully positioned or alined bearings. In assembling, the parts may all be readily placed in position and interengaged with one another prior to the insertion of the pivot pin 43, which may be finally forced into placeI by pushing the rockers 47 outwardly against the tension of the spring 56, said pivot pin t3, when inserted, serving as a key to lock all of said parts in assembled relationship, so that upon removal of said pin or key said parts may be as readily disassembled for purposes ot replacement or repair.

Having thus described my invent-ion, I claim:

l. A button operated switch comprising a contact carrier, a rocker for operating said carrier, said rocker having a notch an a stop shoulder', an operating button, and a stem on said button having its extreme end loosely engaged in said notch and adapted to engage said stop shoulder to limit the movement of the rocker.

2. A button operated switch comprising a contact carrier, a rocker for operating said carrier, said rocker having a notch and a stop shoulder, an operating button, and a stem on said button having a notch interengaged with the notch in said rocker and adapted to engage said stop shoulder to limit the movement of the rocker.

3. A button operated switch comprising a contact carrier, a pair of rockers for operating said carrier, said rockers having notches, an operating button, and a stem on said button having its extreme end loosely engaged in the notches in said rockers and arranged to hold said rockers in alignment.

4. A button operated switch comprising a Contact carrier, a pair of rockers for operating said carrier, said rockers having notches, an operating button, and a stem on said button having a pair of notches interengaged with the notches in said rockers respectively to hold said rockers in alignment.

5. A button operated switch comprising a contact carrier, a rocker for operating said carrier, said rocker having a notch and a curved arm substantially concentric with the bottom ot said notch and spaced from said notch, an operating button, and a stem on said button engaging said notch and having a slot to receive said arm.

(i. A button operated switch comprising a contact carrier, a rocker for operating said carrier, said rocker having a notch and a curved arm substantially concentric with the bottoni of said notch and spaced from said notch, an operating button, and a stem on said button having a notch interengaged with the notch in said rocker and a slot to receive said arm.

7. A button operated switch comprising a Contact carrier, a `pair of rockers for operating said carrier, said rockers having notches and curved arms substantially concentric with the bottoms of said notches and spaced from said notches, an operating button, and a stem on said button having its end loosely engaged in the notches in said rockers, said stem having a pair of slots in which the arms on said rockers are received.

8. In a switch, an oscillating contact carrier, an oscillating rocker tor operating said carrier, a spring carried by said rocker eccentric to the axis of oscillation thereof and provided with arms extending on opposite sides of its connection with the rocker, and a stirrup connecting said arms with said contact carrier at a point eccentric to the aXis of oscillation of the latter.

9. In a switch, an oscillating contact carrier, an oscillating rocker for operating said carrier, a spring carried by said rocker eccentric to the axis of oscillation thereof, and a stirrup connecting said spring with said contact'carrier at a point eccentric to the axis of oscillation oi the latter.

l0. A buttonV operated switch compris ing a contact carrier, a pair of independent separated fiat rockers for operating said carrier, said rockers having notches, an operating button, and a stem on said button having its end loosely engaged in the notches in said rockers and arranged to hold said rockers in alignment.

ll. A button operated switch, comprising a contact carrier, a fiat rocker for operating said carrier, said rocker having a notch and a curved arm substantially concentric with the bottom of vsaid notch and spaced from said notch, an operating button, and a stem on said button engaging said notch and having a slot to receive said arm.

l2. A button operated switch comprising a yoke having supporting wings, a contact carrier, a rocker for operating said carrier, said rocker having a hooked arm, a pivot pin for said rocker carried by said wings and engaged by said hooked arm, and buttons for operating said rocker.

13. A button operated switch comprising a yoke having supporting wings, a contact carrier, a rocker for operating said carrier, said rocker having a notch and a hooked arm, a pivot pin for said rocker carried by said wings and engaged by said hooked arm, an operating button, and a stem on said button having its end loosely engaged in the notch in said rocker.

lll. A button opera-ted switch comprising a yokev having supporting wings, a contact carrier, a rocker for operating said carrier, said rocker having a hooked arm, a notch, and a curved arm substantially concentric with the bottom of said notch, a pivot pin for said rocker carried by said wings and engaged by said hooked arm, an operating button, and a stem on said but-ton engaging the notch in said rocker and having a slot to receive said curved arm.

l5. A button operated switch comprising a yoke having support-ing wings, a contact llO carrier, a pair of rockers for operating said carrier, said rockers having oppositely disposed hooked arms, a pivot pin for said rocker carried by said Wings and having grooves engaged by said hooked arms, and buttons for operating said rockers.

16. A button operated switch compri-sing a yoke having supporting 'wings provided with hooked arms, contact carrier, a rocker for operating said carrier, pivot pin for said rocker supported by said hooked arms and buttons for operating said rocker.

17. A, button operated switch comprising a lvoke having supporting Wings provided '-.vith hooked arms, contact ca; er, a rocker for operating said carrier, said rocker having a hooked arm, pivot pin engaged by the hooked arm on said rocker and supported by the hooked arms of said Wings, and buttons for operating said rocker.

18. A button operated switch comprising a yoke having supporting Wings provided with hooked arms, a contact carrier, a pair of spaced rockers disposed between said Wings for operating said carrier, a pivot pin for said rockers carried by said hooked arms, and buttons for operating said roclv- 19. In a switch, a contact carrier coniprising a bridge piece, a head carried by said bridge piece, a contact blade carried by said head, a rivet securing said contact blade to said head and directly engaging said blade, an insulating bushing and an insulating Washer interposed bet-Ween said rivet and said head, and an insulating Washer interposed between said contact blade and said head.

20. In a switch, a yoke having supporting Wings provided with notches and with hooked arms, a contact carrier comprising a dat bridge pic-ce having one edge in rock ing engagement with the notches in. said wings, a rocker for ope-rating said carrier, and a pivot pin for said rocker supported by said hooked arms.

21. In a switch, a yoke having supporting Wings provided with notches, said Wings being also provided with stop shoulders adliacent said notches, and a contact carrier comprising a fiat bridge piece having one edge in rocking engagement With said notches and retained therein by said stop shoulders.

22. n a switch, a support, a contact carrier comprising a flat bridge piece cornposed. of drawn stock having rounded edges, said bridge piece having one of said edges in rocking engagement with said support, heads at the ends of said bridge piece, said ends being upset to retain said heads, and switch blades secured to said heads and insulated therefrom.

23. In a switch, an oscillating contact carrier, an oscillating rocker for operating said insegna carrier, and a spring device connecting said carrier and rocker and engaging both of said parts at points eccentric to the aXes of oscillation thereof, said spring device comprising a. coil spring carried by one of said parts and means for connecting the ends of said spring with the other said parts, the ends of said spring being disposed toward the point of connection of said connecting means with said last named part.

2li. ln a svvitcli, an oscillating contact carrier, an oscillating rocker for operating said carrier, a coil spring carried by said rocker eccentric to the axis of oscillation thereof, and means for connecting the ends of said spring with said contact carrier at a point eccentric to the axis of oscillation of the latter, said ends being disposed toward the point of connection of said connectinc means with said contact carrier.

in a switch,.an oscillating contact carrier, an oscillating rocker for operating said carrier, a stud carried by said rocker ec centric to the axis of oscillation thereof, a coil spring on said stud, and means for connecting the ends of said spring With said contact carrier at a. point eccentric to the axis of oscillation of the latter, said ends being disposed toward the point of connection of said connecting means with said contact carrier.

26. in a switch, an oscillating contact carrier, an oscillating rocker for operating said carrier, a coil spring carried by one of said parts eccentric to the axis of oscillation thereof, and a stirrup connecting the ends of said spring with the other of said parts at a point eccentric to the axis of oscillation of the latter.

27. ln a switch, a support, a contact carrier comprising a flat bridge piece having one of its edges in rocking engagement With said support, a rocker for operating said contact carrier, a coil spring carried by said rocker eccentric to the axis of oscillation thereof, and a stirrup connecting the ends of said spring with the opposite edge of said bridge piece.

28. In a switch, an oscilla-ting contact carrier, an oscillating rocker for operating said carrier, a coil spring carried by said rocker eccentric to the axis of oscillation thereof, and a stirrup connecting the ends of said spring With said contact carrier at a point eccentric to the axis of oscillation of the latter.

29. In a switch, an oscillating contact carrier, an oscillating rocker for operating said carrier, a coil spring carried by said rocker eccentric to the axis of oscillation thereof, and a flexible stirrup connecting the ends of said spring with said contact carrier at a. point eccentric to the axis of oscillation of the latter.

30. In a switch, a. yoke having supporting wings, an oscillating contact carrier mounted in said wings, a pair of spaced oscillating rockers for operating said contact carrier, said rockers being disposed between said wings and being supported thereby, a stud connecting said rockers, a coil spring carried by said stud, and means for connecting said spring within said contact carrier.

3l. In a switch, a yoke having supporting wings, an oscillating contact carrier mounted in said wings, a pair of spaced oscillating rockers for operating said contact carrier, said rockers being disposed between said wings and being supported thereby, a stud connecting said rockers at points eccentric to the axes of oscillation thereof, a coil spring carried by said stud, and means for connecting said spring with said contact carrier at a point eccentric to the axis of oscillation of the latter.

32. In a switch, a yoke having supporting wings, a contact carrier, a rocker for operate ing said carrier, a spring device connecting said rocker and carrier, and a member con necting two of said parts and loosely engaged therewith, the other of said parts being constructed to loosely interengage with one another, and said member acting as a key to hold all ci said parts in interengaged relan tion.

33. In a switch, a yoke having supporting wings, a contact carrier, a rocker for operating said carrier, a spring device connecting said rocker and carrier, and a pivot pin connecting said wings and rocker and loosely engaged therewith, the other of said parts being constructed to loosely interengage with one another, and said pivot pin acting as a key to hold all of said parts in interengagedv relation.

34. In a switch, a yoke having supporting wings provided with hooked arms, a contact carrier, a rocker for operating said carrier, said rocker having a hooked arm, a spring device connecting said rocker and carrier, and a pivot pin loosely engaging the hooked arms of said supporting wings and rocker respectively, the other of said parts being constructed to loosely interengage with one another, and said pivot pin acting as a key to hold all of said parts in interengaged relation.

35. In a switch, a yoke having supporting wings, a contact carrier, a pair of spaced rockers for operating said carrier, buttons for operating said rockers, a stud connecting said rockers, a coil spring on said stud, a stirrup connecting said spring with said contact carrier, and a pivot pin connecting said wings and rockers and loosely engaged therewith, the other of saidV parts being constructed to loosely interengage with one another, and said pivot pin acting as a key to hold all of said parts in interengaged relation.

36. In a switch, a yoke having supporting wings provided with hooked arms, a contact carrier, a pair of spaced rockers disposed between said wings or operating said carrier, said rockers having oppositely disposed hooked arms, buttons having Steins for operating said rockers, a stud connecting said rockers, a coil spring on said stud, a stirrup connecting said spring with said contact carrier, and a pivot pin supported by the hooked arms of said wings and having grooves engaged by the hooked arms of said rockers, said pivot pin operatively connecting said wings and rockers, the other of said parts being constructed to loosely interengage with one another, and said pivot pin acting as a key to hold all of said parts in interengaged relation.

In testimony whereof I ax my signaturei TONJES A. BOTH. 

